Certificate Description

Health care professionals today are acutely aware of the need to understand the legal and ethical environment in which they practice. Ever-shrinking resources, shorter lengths of stay, high-acuity patients, availability of more complex information, diverse patient populations, and the use of technology mean that health care professions must understand the legal and ethical risks inherent in their practice.

Courses Included

Healthcare professionals today are acutely aware of the need to understand the legal environment in which they practice. Ever-shrinking resources, shorter lengths of stay, high-acuity patients, availability of more complex information, diverse patient populations, and the use of technology mean that healthcare professionals must understand the legal risks inherent in their practice.

Healthcare professionals face ethical dilemmas every day of their professional lives. Ethical decision-making is an important part of the care they provide to their patients and clients. A sound understanding of key ethical issues helps healthcare providers make appropriate ethical decisions during the course of their care.

With the advent of astounding scientific and technological advances in every area of health care, today’s healthcare environment is increasingly fraught with complex patient care issues. Healthcare professionals often have varying views on legal and ethical dilemmas that make it difficult to act in ways consistent with their own support for patient autonomy. The variation in individual state approaches to laws and professional standards, as well as specific codes of ethics, makes ethical dilemmas challenging for many healthcare providers and patients and family members.

Personal health information is protected under federal law. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) provides for the protection and security of personal health information. Both healthcare professionals and consumers must understand the legal and ethical implications of this law and the effects of violations on the patient and the provider.

Medications promote healing, reduce suffering, and contribute to modern medical miracles. However, because thousands of new drugs have been developed recently, because the health care environment is increasingly complex, and because patients are older and often sicker, there is increasing risk for medication errors.

Social media has many characteristics and has become part of the very fabric of today’s society. It can be immediate, irreverent, and incredibly powerful. The use of social media in all areas of life, especially health care, is growing exponentially. Used to effectively communicate and connect with other healthcare professionals, the community, and patients, social media also has tremendous risks when not used professionally. Guidelines to ensure its safe and proper use are essential.

The gift of organ donation is the gift of life. However, the gap between those who need an organ or tissue donation and the number of donations available is wide and growing. Healthcare providers need to understand the issues surrounding organ and tissue donation and recovery so they can effectively support the needs of donor families and donor recipients.

Workplace violence is an increasing problem in organizations today and is especially challenging in the healthcare industry. Considered a human rights issue, workplace violence affects the dignity of millions of people worldwide and is a major source of inequality, discrimination, stigmatization, and workplace conflict. The consequences to organizations and employees are staggering and include negative financial, safety, and health-related outcomes.

Purpose/Goal

The outcome of this certificate is for the learner to describe the legal and ethical risks, and the legal and ethical issues related to HIPAA rules, medication errors, social media and healthcare, organ donation, and workplace violence in their health care practice.

Certificate Objectives - Upon completion you will be able to do the following:

Identify types of law and how the health care system is regulated.

Describe the theories and foundations of ethics that support sound decision-making during the provision of care.

Discuss the contemporary ethical dilemmas found in healthcare today.

Identify the HIPAA rules that ensure that personal health information is protected.

Describe the issues relevant to medication errors.

Examine an overview of social media tools used in healthcare today as well as provide principles for the effective and professional use of social media.

Discuss the complex and challenging issues surrounding organ and tissue donation and recovery.

Describe the key characteristics and factors related to the prevalence of workplace violence.

ASWB - Association of Social Work Boards - ALLEGRA Learning Solutions, LLC, #1269, is approved as a provider for social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) www.aswb.org, through the Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. ASWB Approval Period: 04/22/2018–04/22/2021.

California Board of Registered Nurses - Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider # CEP 14693 for the number of hours stated.

Florida Board of Massage Therapy - ALLEGRA Learning Solutions, LLC is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

Florida Board of Nursing - ALLEGRA Learning Solutions, LLC is accredited as a provider of continuing education by the Florida Board of nursing (CE Provider # 50-12076).Courses are automatically submitted to CE Broker.

NAADAC - The National Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors - ALLEGRA Learning is an approved provider with the National Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC) (Provider #813).

Continuing education (CE) licensing requirements vary by jurisdiction, are not well defined, and may change. These CE requirements may vary in terms of the number of hours required to the types of courses that must be taken. ALLEGRA Learning Solutions recommends you contact your licensing board or accrediting organization for the latest continuing education requirements of your state or territory. Compliance with CE requirements is the responsibility of the individual health care provider. Health care providers must understand the CE requirements in their jurisdictions, and be sure they are up-to-date on any rule changes that affect their license. For further information, please see our Accreditation information page.

Accommodations for Disabilities

Every effort will be made to accommodate your special needs. To request accommodations, please contact ALLEGRA Learning Solutions at Contact Us.

Conflicts of Interest and Relevant Financial Relationships

The authors/planning committee members have no conflicts of interests or relevant financial relationships to declare relevant to this activity.

Non-endorsement of Products

Accreditation refers to recognition of continuing nursing education only and does not imply ALLEGRA approval or endorsement of any commercial product.

Off-label Use of Products

None of the authors intend to discuss off-label uses of drugs, mechanical devices, biologics, or diagnostics not approved by the FDA for use in the United States.

ALLEGRA Learning Solutions, LLC is committed to the development of education programs with the highest quality content. We have a financial interest in the courses we provide. We adhere to strict quality processes in our course creation and delivery. Each course is rigorously researched, peer-reviewed by an external entity, unbiased, and developed to provide current, professionally-relevant, evidence-based materials. We comply with all applicable local, regional, state, and/or national laws and regulations. Integrity, maintaining and exceeding accreditation standards, and the use of ethical, sound business principles are also basic tenets of our philosophy. Images are for illustrative purposes only. Persons depicted are models. The stock photography company retains all model releases.